Called the "most boring girl of the season" seven years in a row, Lady Olympia Hightower, bookish, dedicated wallflower, and uninterested in the antics of the ton, somehow finds herself engaged to the very wealthy and even more handsome Duke of Ashmont. Determined to save her father and six brothers from financial ruin, Olympia goes forward with the plan to marry Ashmont, one of "Their Disgraces," three dukes who have been as thick and thieves since they were young, and notorious for devilish good looks, drunken hijinks, and wicked womanizing. The day of her wedding, however, Olympia, replete with nerves and unsure about her future, accidentally gets very drunk, and decides to run...

Hugh Ancaster, Duke of Ripley, returning to society after a year abroad, agrees to be a groomsman in his dear friend Ashmont's wedding to of all people, Olympia. Never thinking either of them would be the marrying type, especially to the other, he knows this wedding will be one to watch, and has promised Ashmont he will do whatever it takes to get him down the aisle. When the bride is nowhere to be found, Ripley happens upon her trying to escape out a window, in her wedding dress, in the rain. Reluctant to follow, Ripley realizes Olympia needs help more than anything, and tries to get her to return to what is supposed to be the happiest day of her life. What follows is a hilarious road trip romantic comedy, where Ripley discovers Olympia isn't necessarily the wallflower she'd have everyone believe, and Olympia realizes his "disgrace" isn't as dastardly as she had thought...

A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR proves once again that Loretta Chase is a master of witty and heartwarming historical romance! Olympia and Ripley get themselves into delightfully funny situations, all the while finding out the right--and yet, very wrong--person they've been searching for has been right in front of them the entire time. Even though she's betrothed and literally hours away from becoming his best friend's duchess, Ripley has to come to terms with the fact that Olympia is completely wrong for Ashmont, and totally right for him! Olympia, set on making things better for her family, takes an opportunity she has to marry a handsome rich duke, but then spends time in very close quarters with Ripley, learning more about who he really is aside from the carousing man about the town she assumed, and wonders if she settled on the wrong duke. They are quick to fall in love over just a few days, but Chase manages to give them more than enough time to fully realize who they are meant to be with, and their romance doesn't feel rushed or inauthentic. The ending is satisfying and very romantic. A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR is a great start to what will surely be a spunky and fun new series from fan-favorite Loretta Chase!

Book Summary

Not all dukes are created equal. Most are upstanding members of Society. And then there’s the trio known as Their Dis-Graces.

Hugh Philemon Ancaster, seventh Duke of Ripley, will never win prizes for virtue. But even he draws the line at running off with his best friend’s bride. All he’s trying to do is recapture the slightly inebriated Lady Olympia Hightower and return her to her intended bridegroom.

For reasons that elude her, bookish, bespectacled Olympia is supposed to marry a gorgeous rake of a duke. The ton is flabbergasted. Her family’s ecstatic. And Olympia? She’s climbing out of a window, bent on a getaway. But tall, dark, and exasperating Ripley is hot on her trail, determined to bring her back to his friend. For once, the world-famous hellion is trying to do the honorable thing.

So why does Olympia have to make it so deliciously difficult for him . . . ?

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